Every time I tell people this they look as if they’re about to chin me down to the floor, trample on my nuts and gob a hawker in my eye.

“OH MAN WHAT DO YOU MEAN? THEY’RE AMAZING GAMES! HOW CAN YOU BE A GAMES CRITIC WITHOUT HAVING FINISHED THEM ALL?”

Quite easily to be honest. See, Grand Theft Auto games are awesome. I know that. Hell, blind people know that. But I’ve always felt they were either too dense, too long or stretched far too thin for me to see them all the way through to completion.

These are – personally – problems inherent to every GTA game since DMA Designs’ PSone original. If you want to talk about world-building then yeah, the series does an absolutely stellar job of carving out slices of Americana and packaging them into a dense, organic sandbox brimming with faux-life.

It works, and there’s a tangible sense of place cemented between the paving slabs on every street corner, graffiti-sprayed on the wall of every alley, and coursing through the blood of your victims as you beat them dead with a bat.

Grand Theft Auto is a master-class in how to craft a believable setting, and say what you will about the Houser brothers, but they really can pen a solid story with diverse characters that either verge on sentimentality or parody – both with superb results.

But where the series constantly falls down in my experience is pacing and gameplay. GTA 3 worked for me because it was relatively straight forward, with no annoying smartphone, minimal side-distractions and none of the RPG-esque elements introduced by San Andreas.

Plus, GTA 3 was the first time I – and many of you – had ever walked around a 3D sandbox. The sense of wonderment as you took your first steps out into Liberty City was incredible, and at the time I remember sitting back to admire the cityscape and just thinking, “This is it. This is the future”. What a bright future it was.

But over time the series lost its allure. The 1980s setting of Vice City was impeccable, and I’m tempted to say it’s even my favourite entry as a result, but even then the campaign length and piddling errands between key story missions started to grate.

I think it’s because by this point I was becoming a hoarder of games, putting my GAME staff discount to good use and buying more titles than I had time to finish. I was being a twat basically, but at least I know one thing hasn’t changed.

But anyway, I just felt that there was too much filler between missions, and in San Andreas this problem grew to an unbearable degree. First though I have to just say that the game was a crowning achievement. When you consider the size and scope of the game, you really have to doth a cap in Rockstar North’s direction.

So I mean no disrespect when I say that I just couldn’t be arsed with San Andreas at all. It’s my own personal ‘thing’, but I got several hours in and just had to back away calmly. I think the problem was – again – the sheer scale of everything on offer.

I was intimidated by it, and from that point on I really started to fall out of love with the sandbox genre. It’s a break-up that still stands today as we’re still not really on speaking terms.

Now there’s talk of GTA 5 having yoga, biking, golf, property mini-games and more. It’s already making my head spin, and I realise it’s optional but it’s the kind of thing I get OCD and stressed over. Seriously, it’s my personal issue.

On the other hand, fellow sandbox games like Crackdown or Assassin’s Creed have failed to hold my attention, but that’s because their worlds felt barren to me. I don’t want a giant playground full of empty space and filler, such as collectibles or those dreadfully uninspired courier and race missions you see in so many titles.

I want GTA 4′s Three-Leaf Clover mission repeated for 30 hours. For me it’s a question of mission quality, not quantity. I want the world to be designed and wrapped around big set-pieces and quests, instead of having them etched into the environment after it’s been crafted.

You can tell when a mission has been blatantly dropped into a sandbox world as quite often the experience just feels soulless and devoid of fun or imagination. It’s a trap that too many sandbox games seem to fall into, where the world feels like a Pac-Man grid with the occasional diversion or quest thrown in just to extend the running time.

So given everything I’ve just whined about above, why amn’t I that buzzed about GTA 5? I mean, it looks mint doesn’t it? Yeah, you bet your ass it does. In fact it looks like it’s going to up the Houser’s story-telling ability by having Michael, Franklin and Trevor coming from three very different walks of life.

I’m genuinely intrigued to see how the stories of all three character’s pan out and intertwine, and how they end up in some of the bat-shit mental situations we’ve seen in the trailer so far. Trevor in particular seems to wreck a lot of heavy duty vehicles, so that’s something.

What I need to see is if these high-flying, maximum carnage events and set-pieces can sustain for however long GTA 5 runs for, without the wafer-thin filler gumming up the cracks in between. Thankfully, the latest round of previews suggests this is the case.

Keeping an experience flowing at maximum output for over 30 hours isn’t easy, I get that, but I’ve never really enjoyed being forced into acts of sheer mediocrity at regular intervals when playing sandbox games. Many are guilty, and few seem to be deviating away from the problem. GTA 5 – at a glance – seems to piling on the filler, but bulking out the core content as well, so I’m this close to tipping over into full on hype-gasm mode.

Across sandbox as a whole I’ve always felt we’ve needed new, better distractions – something that feels like less of a chore and as if it’s actually driving the plot. GTA 5′s skyscraper assault mission revealed in the pages of Game Informer earlier this year sounded like a great start, with a three-pronged approach to gameplay and perspective. Lots of that please.

Finally, I get that many distractions and filler in sandbox worlds are optional, but the mundane tasks that are mandatory just feel like they’re there through obligation. Plus I’m one of those 100% kind of guys. If there’s tons to do in a sandbox I won’t rest easy until it’s all done.

I stress about new taxi missions popping up and Niko’s phone going off for the millionth time. But again, that’s just me. The tipping point will come once we actually get to see raw GTA 5 gameplay footage first-hand or if VG247 ever gets invited to play it ahead of release. Then I’ll know if it truly does address my personal hang-ups.

I’m probably alone in all of the above complaints, but it’s not for a lack of trying. I’ve tried to finish all of the core GTA games to date, but just kept on losing interest around the final third. The thought of diving back in after such a lull and to try and piece together where I left off is equally as daunting.

That said, should I just man up and finish them? Answers below please.

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71 Comments

I think you need to get your head checked out how can you not be excited. Everything we have heard about GTA V is making it seem like a spiritual successor to GTA San Andreas which is just what GTA fans love and want.

@3 bear in mind that throughout I’ve said that the GTA games are awesome, it’s just a mix of me not having much time, being obsessed with side content to the point of unhealthy obsession and more. I just don’t think I can do it all again.

The nigga stuff totally set me off.
It has annoyed the hell out of me.
It’s everywhere, and…a “lifestyle” that outside America and UK is not that popular.
It was in GTA, Saints Row, even some in Sleeping Dogs.
There are other criminal minorities too to “play with” and that’s why I hoped for a Mexico City or Beijing like city

@Dave,
Everything you said is true….. in opposite for me. I literally waited for the next phone call, or next mission. GTA 4 truly shines as a sandbox game, and had great add-on content too.
Some GTA fans think differently, but I liked GTA4 much more than SA, reason was simple enough, 4 was densely packed with stuff to do, whereas SA had a much bigger map, but less densely packed.

Dave, you seem to be trying to say that GTA is super awesome just to try and deflect the fanboy rage before it starts.

But how can it be awesome if you’ve only ever finished one of them, and aren’t hyped for the new one?

If the game is too intimidating, then that’s a design flaw that can justifiably be pointed out without fear of a fanboy outrage.

Anyway, I happen to agree with you. I’ve never even gotten close to finishing a single GTA game, and I’ve owned many of them. The closest that I think I ever got was with San Andreas, but I just lost interest after about 10-12 hours.

Besides, since GTA 3, all I want to do in the game is cause havoc and run from the police. Which, even though it does get boring after a while, makes the normal missions seem pretty lame in comparison.

There’s something wrong with GTA for me. I like big worlds, side missions, etc. But I don’t find them fun the way that GTA puts them together.

The first open world game that I ever finished was Prototype, and I had loads of fun with it. I was even (mildly) interested in the story. I even got close to finishing Red Faction Guerrilla, and played it way more than any of the GTA games that I’ve ever owned.

I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with saying that it’s simply not your cup of tea.

@10 Nah man, it’s clearly awesome. I mean that genuinely. Look at the size, the scale, the ambition. It’s all there, but it gets curbed for me by doing menial tasks. It’s a disconnect I’ve always felt throughout the series.

To be honest again, I’m a little saddened that I can see the series potential but through small hang-ups of my own I’ve never finished them. I do feel it’s a personal issue, although if others feel the same then maybe it is a real design flaw?

@11- Mate i think its different for every gamer and perhaps the genre impacts as well.

For example, I have always loved RPG games like Finaly Fantasy and Dragon Age, however when I gave into the hype and got myself a copy of Mass Effect 2- just couldnt do it. It simply did not appeal to me; the scale of the whole thing was all of a sudden too much, and it put me off.

However, the same scenario in GTA 5 is a main buying point- the ability to do what I want, when I want and in an awesome sandbox set up. To me the whole Medevil (dragon age), or Fantasy (Final Fantasy) or even Mafia (GTA) themes appeal a lot more than the tech, sci fi stuff (Mass effect, Fallout etc….). I guess its different for different people but I respect your opinion and in many ways, what you say makes sense (I admit, Nico’s cousin calling you in the middle of an important mission to go bowling made me go ape shit!!).

Everyone is different, it’s a game that speaks to different people on so many different levels and that in itself is a powerful thing. It’s just never held my attention the whole way through for the reasons listed above.

I want GTA 5 to change my mind about it, and Michael’s story already has me interested. I’ll know once I see more.

I feel similarly about this series, as Dave. Almost to the letter, strangely enough. Gad, that San Andreas one was one I ought to have missed.
Anytime there’s talk of “the new GTA”, I just find myself hoping that Reflections would get back into its groove again, and work to push out a cracker of a new Driver!

The slickness of the presentation, the razor-focus, the near cinematography of that experience, blown out to a somewhat broader scale for the times with panache, would be more my hope in the genre.
NOT drive across town, meet NPC, get mission, drive back across town..pew-pew kaboom…Now with added social media gubbins to interrupt the drive across town! @.@
GTA’s a huge box of air, not sand. It lacks focus, and often the momentary gameplay takes a back seat.

I feel like GTA4 did that more so than 3 to SA. Romans calls between every mission to come and do mini games were really annoying all of the shit out of me. Also the more or less forced Girlfriend stuff that didn’t add to the game.
Keep them fully optional, have em sit there and if I feel like doing it I will, if not then I wont just please don’t remind that I can as often as between every damn missions or even while a mission is going. Griding my Gears.

Really hope 5 fixes that, if I want to do Missions I will do missions, if I want to do mini-games and other fooling around I will.

@16. To be fair to it, it’s a grab-bag of stuff, but because of the lack of focus you tend to feel the uneven nature all the more. There’s a story that must be followed to “progress” (in one sense), and as you say, you can tend to find yourself asked to play stuff you’d sooner not if you are actually to continue in the direction they’ve set.
Unfortunately, following the breadcrumbs away from the direction of the director is only a limited-returns practice. It’s not that much of a sandbox, really.

Generally speaking and borderline off topic, I reckon the whole randomness that is the GTA series does increase replay value; you can just drive around doing whatever even once the story has finished. I know I sometimes pick up the old GTA IV or even San Andreas from time to time just to cruise around (cause i can!!!).

why i am not bothered with gta5… when i have played gta3, vice city and san andreas, the serie was done. there is nothing new they can show than better graphics… with that said there is hope for this genre of sandbox games, a new saint row game is coming. the saint row3 game that was released, showed new crazy and fun ideas, it was like a breath of fresh air. this was much needed and i picked up interests for these games again. but gta i am done with, i have no interest in a 4 weeks of boring mafia warfare with everyday tough guy. i want fun when i game and that is why i will be getting saint row4 instead of gta5.

Personally, I enjoy the games, I have to say that San Andreas is my favorite so far. Mostly because working out will change how you look, using weapons, riding a bike or driving will make you better at it and level up it’s skills. Gives the character a feeling of progression.

The fact that there are plenty of side stuff to do is a pluss for me, I like having the option to take a break from the main story and relaxe while I fuck shit up. But as a 100%er, I do understand that it feels like a chore, not because it is but because you feel like you just HAVE to do the optional missions and stuff too.

I think that in game series, you are only as good as your last game, and I think GTA IV was a big oppertunerty lost. There were no skills to level up (which I think was one of the best parts of SA), there was almost no modification options. Would be nice to have the option to modify wehicles and weapon to make it more personal. The fact that they dropped the buyable safehouses pissed me off.

That being said, I think Rockstar didn’t really raise the bar overall in GTA IV, so I don’t have as high expectations for GTA V.

I’m not throwing my money at it, but I’m pretty excited nonetheless. I’ve always had fun with these games so I’ve no doubt that I’ll have fun again. At least they’re trying something new (old) to get away from our Eastern European cousins. I think the fun of GTA was in that you could go off and do what you wanted within a loose structure that tightened up to tell important bits of the story. It certainly brings out the inner 6 year old in me that likes to crash a line of cars together then fire a rocket into the middle. Just please increase the draw distance substantially so that the carnage you sow sticks around for longer and further away. Nothing worse than seeing spawning and despawning cars. Spotting that one supercar you want to take, taking another then chasing it round a corner only to have it vanish was/is so frustrating.

I finished GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas and GTA IV with a completion rate of 100% and I totally understand what Dave means. Sandbox games are a lot of fun, but sometimes I really have to force myself to play these games. I always have to think about the sheer amount of stuff that I haven’t done yet. At the moment I have this problem with Yakuza: Dead Souls. I really want to finish Yakuza, but everytime I start a session, I don’t know where to start. It’s really intimidating and most of the time I exit the game and play something else.

Your not alone. I’ve also had the same complaints with the GTA franchise over the years. Though I’ve finished 3 of them, I always end up feeling its a grind by the end. GTA is no doubt a great series and a hell of a lot of fun, but every game inevitably gets old long before the end. So am I looking forward to playing GTA5? Of course! But I doubt I’ll play it too much. Inevitably it will become like all the others. I’ll pick it up and play a few hours every couple months or so and move on.

I tried the first two on PC and didn’t enjoy them, so I didn’t even bother with 3. Later, one of my friends was going on about how Vice City and San Andreas were much better, so I bought them. After a couple hours of each, they ended up sitting on my shelf and eventually with the rest of the old games in the closet.

GTA 4 was different. After some serious convincing from a friend I bought it. Took me 2 years to finish it. And there is no way I’m doing 100% like shooting all the pigeons (that kind of thing is just stupid to me). It was one of those games I could play in between other titles.

I’m not super hyped about GTA5, but I would say mildly interested. I’ve also been pretty much done playing the PS360 for a while now so unless they can manage a good PC port or they release on next gen, I may skip over it entirely.

Felt the same way as you Dave on San Andreas. GTA3 was fantastic and I played it for ages finishing just about all the content. GTA:VC was great, I did similar but it took me longer. GTA:SA I just didn’t connect with and was overwhelmed. However I don’t see it as a design flaw, it’s just a design choice. Lots of people loved it. I didn’t, so what, it doesn’t mean it was wrong or bad – just not so much for me. GTA:IV I never finished, it was like the fun was sucked out of it. I appreciated the design changes and effort, but it lost a lot of the charm and humour of the earlier titles.

GTAV I’m not so sure on. I’ll wait and see, then probably fold like a piece of paper once the reviews are in and get it on release :).

@7 I’m sorry but I just couldn’t resist. Are you actually saying that games like GTA are the cancer of the gaming? Games that are innovative, that are built over the course of many years by immense attention to detail and scope with a lot of effort going into its development and providing customers with content much more that their money’s worth. Not the same recycled crap that is put in front of us on a yearly basis?

Anyway more on topic, I totally understand how you’re feeling Dave. While I absolutely loved every single GTA release to the day, I felt the exact same way with the Elder Scrolls games. The problem is these issues you mentioned are also the reason why many people like these games so I believe it’s a very difficult line to walk for the developers.

I think San andreas was the most fun for me, and the only gta I haven’t completed is 4. I can understand people not getting “into” the games, though. Different strokes for different folks and all. Shit, I can spend hours just shooting/escaping from the cops in gta.

Good article man, even though i can’t find anything of myself in there. But that shouldn’t matter, cause it’s a good piece nonetheless. I don’t feel the same at all, because i’ve been literally playing those games to death. From GTA III to GTA IV. I absolutely loved San Andreas and everything that you could do in it. And while GTA IV was two-sided thing, if that’s the right word…as in it was a big stept forward but also a significant step backward. It was a step forward in terms of attention to detail, atmosphere, physics, graphics, characters and story. But a step backwards when it came to possibilities and freedom. IV felt a bit too limited at times.

Despite that, i have still ben just messing around in that game for hours and hours until i started playing a mission or two. I just can’t get bored of these games. I love to just walk around, take in the atmosphere, watch reactions and behaviour of pedestrians and it is then that you really see how alive this gameworld really is. It’s exactly what i’m going to be doing first in GTA V. Just walk or bike around, god i missed the bicycle, and just explore. IGN Australia said that in their demo the player really didn’t do many things, but it was still awesome. They said you really don’t always want to do things and just observe this gameworld and watch random things happening. I just can’t imagine how much exploring i’ve got to do in GTA V.

Anyway, back to your points Dave. You said you’d rather have 30 hours of Three Leaf Clover? Rockstar has listened to that :). As you know the main thing, main story is about these huge heists and smaller heists. GTA V was made with Three Leaf Clover in mind. Some previews explained into detail about these heists and how there’s no handholding, not even in the smaller heists or the planning phase. To me that sounds fucking awesome. You actually need to find a good vehicle for the heist, you need masks, clothing, weapons and so on. Also with the switching feature, i bet missions will be a whole lot more interesting and full of depth.

Although i didn’t really mind any filler missions in GTA:SA, i can understand if people thought that GTA IV went on a bit too long. Even though i had no quirrel with it, the story did drag on a bit. You can only have so many missions set in a city until it becomes a bit samey. Now we have a huge city and a huuuuge countryside with all kinds of little settlements and a ecosysteem teeming with wildlife. We’ll have freaking underwater missions where we need to be aware of sharks and stuff. Is this even GTA anymore? Just awesome! Like i said, i am going to be playing this game to death,pretty much explore anything and do anything there is to do. I’ll be exploring for hours before even touching one freaking mission. As for you Dave, i assume that if you just follow the main story, where a lot of the heists happen that you will get what you want. If the two trailers and three character trailers are anything to go by, we’ll get some over the top and full-action missions for sure.

I am a completionist and have gotten 100% on all the main games, but seriously some of the things you have to do to get that were atrocious. I mean things like doing the Paramedic and Vigilante missions are just plain not fun after a few levels, but I forced myself through them just because.

Also I dislike the fact that if you want to collect all the hidden packages etc you would have to scour the map relentlessly or, as I did, look up the locations on a guide. I would just rather that you eventually unlocked the ability to see their locations or something. Actually make the act of finding hidden packages fun. Something similar to locating diamonds in Far Cry 2 maybe.

Saying all that though, I am massively excited for this game. When you buy a GTA you are basically signing up for a boat load of gameplay, and when I was younger and the GTA3 trilogy came out, that was all I really wanted from my games. Maybe I’ve come to expect a bit more from gaming now, maybe it comes with age. I don’t really have the same amount of free time as I used to, so I may well be in the exact same boat as you once GTA5 comes out.

I’m surprised there aren’t a lot more people feeling like you, Dave. I agree that the writing and acting is stellar, second to none, the best around etc. But that’s what makes a great movie, not a good game.

GTA’s gameplay really hasn’t changed, ever since it exchanged sprites for polygons with GTA 3. People keep writing articles about how Zelda isn’t doing anything new (a fair point), but no one’s saying the same thing about the GTA franchise? The controls feel terribly archaic and missions are, as you pointed out, decidedly one-note: go here, shoot that, get out. It’s the Hookshot of GTA games – it works, but it’s become a crutch for designers, a reason to not come up with anything new.

The heists sound awesome, but Rockstar is known for making a lot of promises. I remember believing that hunting would be a big part of Red Dead Redempetion, or that face capturing would help me detect lies in LA Noire.

I’m keeping an eye on GTA 5, just like every gamer out there, but I refuse to be hyped.

I can’t accept this. No true 100% guy would lobby for less content. Feel free to call yourself a 76% guy or something. 100% should be difficult to get or everybody would do it. And where is the fun in that?

That change in gameplay seems to be coming with the ability to switch between the characters at any time. This should remove any kind of ‘boring’ missions and if you don’t want to do a boring job, switch to the character that does the more interesting job. This could be the GTA to rule them all, i absolutely cannot wait.

Many Thanks Dave. I thought that I am the only Person in the World who is not excited about GTA5, everywhere is just Hype and all that. So its really nice to read Something like that, now I’m not feeling so alone in that Case.

And I now can say somewhere that I am not excited, for once. Doing that somewhere else would just feeling like trolling, so here I am, not exicted!
Yes, I do think it will be a Great Game, but not every great Game gets me. Never could get in to SA or GTA4, so after 2 GTA Games that I didn’t like very much (despite that they are good Games), its just normal that I am not exicted about the next one.

I’m excited, but it is only a buzz of excitement since a lot of my earlier perceptions about the mechanics were not accurate. Though that was more on their presentation than my poor understanding. Yet I’m not out of my mind frothing with excitement because I know the game isn’t going to blow my mind.

I’m not blow away by shockingly detailed worlds, sure it looks nice but I have never been that kind of shallow. In short the game has to have substance. GTA5 is talking about a lot of things, but I’m not hearing that substance that made San Andreas my favorite game in the series. I almost get the feeling that the Developers wish they could simply remove the crime aspect of the game so they can focus on detailed worlds, scuba diving, hang gliding, and all the other side bowling-esk activities that no one would really buy without the GTA name on it.

Sure the game will have a stunning world, but what can I do in that stunning world? How can I affect the world around me? If all the world does is serve as some place I have to traverse to get to what I want to do it doesn’t really serve any real function.

Sure the game has chases, crime, property management (my favorite activity), and the like, but it feels more like an “owe yeah we have that stuff too” with the main emphasis being on 3 guys and the world.

Yeah I’m exited, but that excitement is met with a dose of realism of what I can expect from the game and frankly I’ll probably enjoy the game more with this attitude without having to lie to myself about the game.

That’s a rather odd thing to say. The devs wishing they could remove the crime aspect? I guess that’s why the main focus of the story are the big and smaller heists? And the side missions that will no doubt involve a lot of crime? Come on now. Again…i find what you say a very odd thing to say. I see it way differently. This will be very much a GTA when it comes to story and missions and they want to make the game world feel as alive as possible. For the people that want to just explore and do all the other side stuff, like do underwater missions and take in the atmosphere.

And like you said, properties. They said they were gone late last year, but saw the very negative reactions by fans and decided to put them in. I see pretty much everything from GTA: SA returning, except for being able to get skinny/fat to GTA V and much more. I see great things coming.

I bought Gta4 on the hype and graphics of the game when it was released, even though I never cared for the other GTA’s really. I love open world games so I had hoped Id enoy it, but I didnt. I am wary of falling into that trap again, so i wont be rushing to get this one, and waiting to see how it looks and plays on PC. I preferred Mafia 2, Saint’s row: The Third, Crackdown, and Prototype 2 over Gta:iv.

I have to say though, from the screens and trailers so far, im amazed that they could pull of those graphics on current gen consoles, i imagine the PC or next gen will look incredible.

Vice City and San Andreas were both epic as hell.
I never played GTAIV, but GTA5 will do it again for me. I hope.

They need to make the game limitless thats all I want.

I remember my first 5 min. of San Andreas. The smell of plastic on your brand new game. Got out on the street into some alleyway in grovestreet.

There was a beautiful bicycle just sitting there to be taken.

I hopped on and I was like hell yeah. Suddenly some dumb ass fool got in my way and I accidently run him over.

He was swearing to me and I was like OH HELL NO FOOL,NOT IN MY HOOD!
So I whooped his ass and pocket change was flying everywhere. I grabbed all of it (after stomping on his head vigorously)and was about to hop on my bike and continue further.

Oblivious I was to that damn cop that happened to have seen the whole ordeal. He pulled over grabbed his gun and wanted to apprehend me.

I was like OH HELL NO! NOT IN MY FUCKING BLOCK! Whooped his ass grabbed his money and continued cycling.

First 5 minutes of the game and while I was getting my ass outta there with already 2 stars on my name as a petty felon I thought to myself , this game is gonna be gooooooodd…:D

@44 If u mean GTA IV by GTA4 , i have to say GTA IV was the least good one in the GTA series (in my opinion) , sure as hell if u’d played the GTA SA u would’ve loved it !
BTW this one sounds promising n i can’t wait play it on PC!

While i of course will respect that there are plenty of people who just don’t like it, i don’t get it. You have this huge world full of things to explore, full of details. Three characters all with their own lives and style, friends and missions. A main story about big heists and so on. Has awesome graphics, physics, animations, weapon customisation, car customisation, properties you can buy and upgrade and sell and so on. The possibilities with this one seem limitless.

A lot of people missed variety in missions, i sure did in GTA IV, and if they nail that down with this one…i think there’s very little to complain about

Also…i don’t know any other game where you can spend more than 30 hours in and not get bored with it. Messing around in these games is so much more fun than in pretty mch any other sandbox game. I’d be surprised if someone would mention AC being more fun to mess around in for hours.

I played GTA San Andreas, and despite the scope and comedy of the game, it was EXTREMELY average and people always seemed to not tell you the problems with the game. The shooting was crap, graphics were ugly even back then, the AI was off the wall stupid (both driving and on-foot) and the missions were just a waste of time, especially when you fail and had to go ALL THE WAY BACK to the start. >:(

Red Dead Redemption I think was one of the best sandbox games, or one of the best games, ever made this gen. The scope and pace of the game was structured so perfectly, it was the first Rockstar game that made me like the story and see all the hype about it!

I didn’t care about the other GTA games, and when I played GTA4, I thought it was just extremely overrated and boring. From on foot controls to the driving, to the missions, I just couldn’t be bothered to keep playing it.

@49: for me it really is the artdesign i think. i generally don´t like realism in gamedesign most of the time. it kills the fun for me in most cases. i don´t want to play an over the top gangstersim, even if it can be fun, i am just not feeling it.

@50: totally agree with everything you said regarding gta IV.

edit:
red dead was a much better game and i really liked it but it still wouldn´t make it into my top 15 this gen. probably -cough- not even top 30…

It certainly is a great game, but it just lacked the Rockstar touch for me. The humoristic and memorable characters. And i just didn’t had any incentive to explore around. BUT..SD did have the mission variety pretty damn good.

I cant really fault the GTA games.Going back to first two top down titles i have loved every one of them.The attention to detail in 4 still sucks me in whenever i play it,just cruising around listening to the fantastic radio stations,i spend hours just doing that and causing the odd bit of mayhem here and there,just never gets old to me.

I like Fantasy Open World much more, like Elder Scrolls. The stuff in GTA is the Stuff i can see out there through my Window in much better Graphic. But theres nothing like Morrowind out there. Or the Great Western Era Game Red Dead, its just fun running around in the Wild West, you can’t do that in Real life without a DeLorean.

Just driving around in New York is not so amazing, and I am too not a big Shooter Fan, and all that Gangster Stuff is getting Old. So I was getting bored pretty fast in GTA4, and there was too much anoying Mobile phone and Social Stuff. And SA was too much Gangsta HipHop Stuff, not my thing.
Vice City was the last one I really had a Great Time from Start to End.

My Most Favorite Open World in a Realistic Modern Setting would be Just Cause 2. Yeah, of course its not really Realistic, and its stupid as hell, but thats what makes it so much fun.

Dude, this article is pretty unfair on the whole GTA franchise. All the negatives you gave are pretty much what gamers love about sandbox games and GTA is by far the most polished and established of them. If you dislike sandbox games in general then whatever rockstar do with GTAV or any future titles is never going to be something you will enjoy.

Personally I have put hundreds of hours into previous titles and am sure I will into the next GTA titles, you make your own game of GTA and that is really what all the side stuff is there for. It doesn’t have to be a directly linear game, which I think separates this franchise from nearly every other game out there.

Try completing Vice City Dave, it’s certainly the easiest to do so & Tommy Vercetti is certainly the best protagonist of the series. Heck I just bought it again for Android and within about 3 hours I unlocked the entire map.

With San Andreas, the moment I reached the final island I got sick off it, I’ve tried from the start a few times to complete it & keep getting to about that point.

Finally someone i can agree with. It’s really crazy how much attention Rockstar put on the details and atmosphere. The game was really ahead of it’s time when it came to details and physics if you ask me. I’ve been playing the game a shitload of time ever since it’s release and even now i keep finding new things.

Recently i was just roaming around in some neighborhood and i saw a postman going from door to door. I saw a technician working on a telephone pole and kicking it because it wasn’t working. I had never noticed this before until i bought Turtle Beach X12 headphones, when driving over a bump or when making a slight jump with a car and you land on ground agian..you actually hear the suspension and so on and so forth. I can’t begin to imagine the new details in GTA V. But that’s really what its about for me, exploring, taking in the atmosphere and checking out the details.

@60 I know Tea its just a perspective. Personally I think of GTA as a toy. Most “sandbox” games anyway. GTA gives me the toys to play with in the sandbox. I use to give my buddy shit cause he thought the game was boring, I’d tell him he just didn’t have a good imagination he was the kid smashing his hot wheels into mine while mine were just cruising down the mud hill…

But seriously yeah, I think COD (Dave’s fav) is more a “game” then a toy. With emphasis on “winning” and “scores” and “matches”. I’d be curious to know also if Dave replays the campaigns in CODs.

@58 exactly,the atmosphere in that game is something else,and the physics really add a lot to it (how come that physics engine is not used in other games,didn’t the Force Unleashed games use it? only ones i can think of) never even noticed the postman myself,that is pretty awesome,but i am still hearing new dialogue from random pedestrians on the street.Driving around Liberty City is like comfort food to me,just put it on time to time and relax and take it all in for a few hours,so yeah i am incredibly excited for GTA 5

Dave, i think your problem is that you want to force yourself to complete 100% of the game. When i play GTA i go around, i kill people, i try to make cool cop chases, i explore cool places, i try to find cool vehicles around, i drive around listening my favourite radio stations, i go on with the main story , i do side missions when i want to take a break from the story etc.. But in every moment i don’t have in mind things like “damn i’m only at 53,12% of the completion” “wow, i only did 45 missions”

If you don’t play GTA like that, i think you simply don’t like non linear(dispersive if you want) open-world games or you simply like to finish a game just for “Yeah i finished it, i’m at 100%.It’s done, who’s the next?” lol

If you want go straight fast to the main story without immerse yourself in the gamer world and don’t want to worry about what’s around you, the atmosphere that holds it all together; well GTA it’s not for you and basically you don’t really like open-world games or you simply you hate when you can’t finish something

I played all GTA and i spent a lot of time(a lot) on them. I completed all main stories and side missions and did most of things but the only GTA i brought to the 100% is San andreas.
@58 @64
That’s how i play GTA(and should be played)

@64 The physics engine you are referring to is Euphoria. Rockstar incorporates it into their proprietary Rage Engine. I think its the best physics engine out there. They’ve used it in Red Dead and Max Pain 3. And you are correct it was in the Unleashed games as well as Backbreaker the nonlicensed American football game. It was supposed to be in the Indiana Jones game that was canned too. It so much better than a ragdoll engine. Its so natural looking. Wreaking your motorcycle or hitting folks with cars in GTA has never been more entertaining. My fav example though, would have to be in RDR, after 5 shots of whisky at the saloon priceless.

@58, 64, & 65 I’m in the same camp as you fellas. I think, in an open world game, to enjoy said game you have to enjoy just being in that world. For example, I can create a online match of “free roam” in GTAIV, where there is literally nothing to be done, and be completely content. I make my own fun if I’m not just cruising around not being bothered with objectives or tasks. Sometimes I need a break from the completion of missions and levels in games and relax or escape to a world I can participate in at a slower pace if at all. I work at a job all day, sometimes the last thing I want to do is come home and take orders from Brucie

Exactly man, that’s the power of a game like this. Just cruise around, have a nice radiostation on with music or a hilarious news channel, Judge Grady for example…OMFG! Or go on foot and just walk these streets or the countryside for that matter, hunt some animals or simply observe them. They were incredibly lifelike in RDR and i am so goddamn happy to see them in my GTA experience now. The possibilities really seem endless, but you just need to make the fun yourself. After all..it’s a sandbox

@66 haha yeah i pissed myself laughing the first time i saw Marston fall round drunk in RDR,and seeing those physics for the first time in GTA 4 was crazy,i remember one of the trailers showed a guy bouncing naturally down a flight of stairs he had been thrown down,i was amazed by it.

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Azure Striker Gunvolt is getting a sequel. Azure Striker Gunvolt developer Inti Creates has confirmed that the sidescroller has been popular enough to warrant a second instalment. The sequel will also be released on 3DS, the team said on Facebook. Very little information is available at present, unfortunately. “As time goes on we will have […]

Life is Strange developer Dontnod Entertainment has said the second episode is on track for release this month. I guess it would know. Life is Strange Episode 2 has been expected on March 13, but late last week Square Enix told Destructoid it had been delayed. Dontnod has since denied this report, describing it as […]

Job Simulator is the first game to be announced specifically for SteamVR, Valve’s virtual reality tech. Shoot Many Robots and Aaaaa! For the Awesome! developer Owlchemy Labs is the first team to put its hand up and say it’s worked with SteamVR. In a blog post, the studio unveiled Job Simulator, which will be playable […]

The first SteamVR announce is a headset a manufactured by HTC, the Taiwanese mobile company revealed over the weekend. Valve told us last week it planned to unveil virtual reality hardware at GDC, calling it “SteamVR” at the time. Now HTC has pre-empted Valve by revealing Vive, a headset developed thanks to a collaboration between […]

Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2K and Turtle Rock Studios have announced a tournament being hosted by ESL, which will see Evolve players take on newest movie robot, Chappie. The ESL has teamed up with Twitch for the live 4 on 1 competitive event, and you can watch as it all unfolds tomorrow, March 1 at 3pm […]

We haven’t heard much on Harebrained Schemes’ latest since it was announced in November, but today, the team has seen fit to release some interesting gifs of its a new project, Necropolis. Necropolis is a third-person action rogue-like with procedurally generated which can be “re-rolled mid-playthrough” and is headed to Linux, Mac and PC sometime […]

More Dragon’s Dogma Online screenshots have been released, and this batch is just as lovely as the last gallery we posted. Since this game will likely never leave Japan, the images are a bit of a salt rub for fans of the IP, but hopefully another entry in the series will be released at some […]

How would you like to become an agent of Death and rid the world of immortals? Then Death’s Gambit may just be the game for you. Announced by LA-based studio White Rabbit, the action-RPG with platforming elements tasks players with fighting gigantic enemies on an alien, medieval planet. Players will also encounter formidable beasts, knights, […]

PC users lamenting the lack of local, offline co-op in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 will be pleased to know a modder has remedied the omission. The mod, created by FluffyQuack, adds offline co-op mode to Episode 1 but the only caveat is players will need to use gamepads instead of mouse and keyboard (via Gamespot). […]

Dota 2 has seen its installation rate jump 85% year-over-year, resulting in the MOBA now having close to 43 million installations worldwide. The figures were published via a report from video game research and consulting firm EEDAR, which studied Steam accounts daily to better understand the service’s player behavior and title performance. According to statistics […]

Nintendo is handing out an Eon Ticket to Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire owners which will allow them to visit the Southern Island. Once a player arrives, depending on which version of the game they own, Pokemon Latios and Latias are able to be caught. The Eon Ticket was originally issued via StreetPass, but […]